The Rest of Our Lives
by CrittersAtPlay
Summary: After times of war and great tragedy, the heroes are often the most affected and the least comforted. Together, they may find comfort and begin the rebuilding process.; Set at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts; AU mid way through Book Seven


**The Rest of Our Lives**

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**Day One**

The war was finally over. The greatest Dark Lord in history was dead. While Britain was free from the tyranny of Lord Voldemort, the cold hands of death were firmly placed upon the young shoulders of Harry Potter. Everywhere he looked was death; either in the forms of lifeless bodies or the faces of those that had lost loved ones. The price of victory was great and many that had fought for what was right had paid its terrible price.

Harry looked around the Great Hall and saw only one of the two people that he longed to be with. Hermione sat next to him, holding a goblet of pumpkin juice. She hadn't taken a single sip from it since it had been handed to her. She looked to be drawing some other form of comfort from holding the small Hogwarts cup.

Ron was nowhere to be seen. The last time Harry had laid eyes upon him, he had been sitting near the lifeless body of Fred Weasley; one arm wrapped around the shoulders of Padma Patil. Harry wondered if, "Times of War" was having its way with them.

"Hermione?" whispered Harry.

"Hmmm?" she replied, looking over at him.

"I cannot take this anymore." whispered Harry. "Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"Of course, but where?" whispered Hermione.

"The third floor east wing is probably empty." said Luna softly from across the table.

Harry jumped, for she had been so still and quiet that he had forgot she was even sitting there.

"Use your cloak. I'll create a distraction." continued Luna. Without waiting for a response she cried, "Oh look, a Blithering Humdinger!" while pointing wildly towards a far window.

The entire hall turned to see what she was pointing at. Harry pulled his cloak out and threw it over he and Hermione. Together they rose and quietly walked out of the Great Hall.

It took several minutes for them to make their way around all the rubble and past groups of witches and wizards huddled together for comfort. They finally reached the third floor east wing and like Luna had suggested, the wing was completely deserted. They ironically chose to take shelter in the same corridor that was once guarded by Fluffy, the three headed mountain of a dog.

"Wonder how she knew that the third floor east wing would be empty?" asked Harry, removing the cloak and sitting down on the floor.

"She's Luna, Harry. Is there really anything else you need to know?" retorted Hermione, sitting down beside him.

"Excellent point." said Harry, smiling.

It felt weird to smile; to feel anything close to happiness. His body longed for sleep; his mind longed for answers; however, his heart longed for comfort.

"It's over. It's really over." sighed Harry.

"What does that mean, Harry?" asked Hermione, taking his hand in hers.

"I dunno." shrugged Harry. "I mean, I used to think I knew what that meant. Now, everything feels so uncertain."

"Well Harry, what do you want to do?" asked Hermione. "I mean, legally you're a wizard adult and no longer Undesirable Number One, so you can do anything you desire."

"What do you want to do, Hermione?" asked Harry, looking at his best friend.

"Well, once everything settles down I'm going to go find my parents in Australia and try to restore their memories." replied Hermione, concentrating hard. "However, right now there is only one thing I desire to do."

"Sleep?" guessed Harry.

"No... this." replied Hermione, and with that she leaned over and kissed him.

His mind went numb as bliss beyond comprehension swept over him. He found his hands in her bushy hair as he began to passionately return her kiss that was searing his brain. After what felt like days and only seconds all at the same time, they parted and stared into each other's eyes. Hermione was smiling broadly and Harry was too. Harry leaned back in for another kiss, however Hermione raised up a hand.

"Before we do that again," said Hermione, searing his brain once more with just the promise "I need to ask the question – what about Ginny?"

Harry sighed stroking her hair with his hand, "Hermione, Ginny and I were but for a season. I truly find it hard to imagine us together after all that has happened. She will remain forever a part of a past that I currently long to forget. Being with her would only be a constant reminder of loss and a world that is no more."

"What about me?" asked Hermione. "Won't I remind you of the past as well?"

"Yes Hermione, you do." replied Harry. "However, you remind me of the past I wish to remember. You've been with me since almost the moment I entered the wizarding world. You were with me every step while we were on the run from that same world, all the while trying to save it. You and Ron are the only two people that seem real."

"So whom do you choose, Harry James Potter?" smirked Hermione. "Will it be me – or will it be _Ron_?"

"Blimey!" snorted Harry. "Even if I was bent, his snoring would be a dead deal breaker!"

They immediately broke down laughing and did not stop for several minutes. When they finally sobered up, Hermione pulled him into another searing kiss. Twenty or so minutes later, Harry leaned back against the stone wall; Hermione's head on his shoulder.

"Do you realize that we just shared our first kiss in the same place that Fluffy tried to eat us?" asked Harry incredulously.

"I believe the golfing term is, par for the course." laughed Hermione into his chest.

"Oh, you Muggleborn." smirked Harry.

"Says the Half-blood, raised by Muggles, Chosen One." retorted Hermione, lifting her head to look at him. "I am Muggleborn, and don't you ever forget it, Mr. Potter."

"Believe me, Ms. Granger, I never will." said Harry smiling as he leaned into another kiss.

When they finally came back up for air again, Harry huffed when Hermione distanced herself, so as to talk some more. His frustration made Hermione smile.

"Now," said Hermione "tell me what happened in the Forbidden Forest."

Harry straightened up, then told her all that had happened. Hermione was the perfect audience; gasping and tearing up at all the right moments. When he had finished, there was silence for several minutes.

"So, what are you going to do with the Elder Wand?" asked Hermione.

"To tell you the truth, I just wish I had my old wand back." replied Harry miserably.

"Maybe you can." said Hermione, thinking hard. "What if the Elder Wand can repair your old wand?"

"Ollivander said it was impossible." replied Harry. "You heard him yourself."

"Yes, but he didn't have the Elder Wand at his disposal, now did he?" retorted Hermione.

"All right, let's give it a try." said Harry, withdrawing the mole skin pouch and removing the broken pieces of the holly and phoenix feather wand.

Harry placed the broken wand upon the floor then withdrew the Elder Wand. He glanced at Hermione before touching the tip of the Elder Wand to the broken wand. "_Repairo_!"

There was a brilliant glow as the broken wand mended before their eyes. Harry picked up the wand and a shower of red sparks burst from its tip.

"It worked!" shouted Hermione in delight. "Oh Harry, I'm so happy for you."

"Now, what do I do with the Elder Wand?" asked Harry.

As if on command, the Elder Wand spun until the tips of the two wands met. A blinding light filled the corridor, forcing Harry and Hermione to shield their eyes. When the light had faded, the Elder Wand was gone and a new power emanated from the holly and phoenix wand. Somehow, Harry knew that the Thestral tail hair core of the Elder Wand had merged with the Phoenix feather, producing a wand more powerful than ever before.

"Harry, did the Elder Wand just transfer its power to your holly wand?" asked Hermione in awe.

"I believe so." replied Harry, just as shocked. "Has something like this ever happened before?"

"I read once how a wand maker merged two wands into one while trying to create a more powerful type." replied Hermione. "It failed miserably, followed by a great explosion."

Harry immediately laid his wand down on the floor.

"I think we're safe." said Hermione confidently.

Harry reached down and retrieved the wand; placing it in his pocket.

"Now, for all that ask we can say the Elder Wand is no more." said Harry, leaning back against the wall once more. "Only you and I will ever need know the truth."

"The greatest wand for a great wizard." said Hermione as she rested her head on his shoulder once more.

**~TROL~**

Two hours later, Harry and Hermione emerged from the third floor of the east wing, hand-in-hand, and headed back downstairs to the Great Hall. They had both agreed that Ron need not know what had happened to the Elder Wand and that their official story would be that the wand was destroyed.

"There you two are." said Ron as he greeted them on his way up the stairs. "Everyone in the Great Hall was asking where you were."

"Just needed a few moments, that's all." sighed Harry.

Harry and Hermione continued down what was left of the grand staircase; Ron falling in step beside Harry.

"See you two finally figured it out." said Ron, glancing down at their hands.

"You're not upset?" asked Hermione, sounding relieved.

"Nah. Not anymore, at least." replied Ron grinning.

"What do you mean by, not anymore?" asked Harry.

"Oh yeah, you dunno." smirked Ron. "See, I figured it out a long time ago. I nearly left you two over it while we were on the run."

"Wait... WHAT?" asked Harry, frowning hard at Ron.

"It was right before you two figured out the secret behind why Dumbledore had left you the Sword of Gryffindor in his will." replied Ron, smiling still broader. "I was irritated and jealous, so I had decided to leave you two and go back home. Course I was still wearing that bleeding locket at the time. It was really messing with my head. So anyway, I took the locket off and was packing my things when it dawned on me what a prat I was being. If I was any kind of friend at all, I wouldn't be so jealous all the time."

Harry was looking at Ron, who no longer looked happy. His face had become serious and his ears were reddening slowly.

"Listen, I'm sorry for being that way." continued Ron. "I know I didn't actually do it, but I bloody well wanted to. Forgive an ignorant bloke?"

"Nothing to forgive, Ron." said Hermione. "We all had negative thoughts over the last few months."

"Yeah mate," said Harry, throwing his arm around Ron's shoulders "today is a new day and we'll get through it together."

Without even discussing where they were going, the trio had made their way out of the castle and down to the Black Lake.

"Once mum and dad have made all the arrangements, I guess they'll let everyone know when Fred's funeral will be." said Ron, sniffing as he looked out over the Black Lake.

"So sorry mate." said Harry, as he and Hermione pulled Ron into a group hug.

"Fred would have some mad fun if he saw us right now." chuckled Ron, sniffing hard.

"He'll always be with us." said Hermione.

Ron broke the group hug by pretending to stretch. Harry watched as his gaze found Dumbledore's tomb.

"So Harry, what are you going to do with the Elder Wand?" asked Ron.

"It's already been destroyed." replied Harry with a smile.

Ron looked at Harry in awe.

"You really are the Chosen One, mate." said Ron. "I would have never been able to do that."

"The wizarding world doesn't need an Elder Wand, Ron." said Harry. "It needs a new beginning."

Ron turned and looked back up towards the castle. Harry and Hermione followed his gaze.

"This is day one, aye?" sighed Ron. "So tell me, why doesn't the end of a war that we won feel happy?"

"I think it will, eventually." replied Hermione. "It'll probably look even better after a full night's sleep."

"Something we'll have to look into after we get back up to the castle." said Harry.

"In separate beds, you two." said Ron, wiggling his index finger at them.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Yes, mum?" retorted Ron.

The three broke down laughing; so hard in fact that they fell to the ground clutching their sides. Harry thought it was the most wonderful feeling to be laughing along side his best mates once more. After several minutes, Neville spotted them near the shore of the Black Lake and thought they had been attacked. He rushed down to their aide, only to start kicking dirt at them for worrying him so once he realized they were perfectly fine; well almost. Perfectly fine would come soon enough. For day one, safe would have to due.

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**A/N: My first Harmony story! Special thanks to Aadixon for his help and support. While he did not beta this, his advice and encouragement were more than I could ask for. PLEASE REVIEW! I will try to update when possible. Thanks for reading!**


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